This invention relates to plastic containers such as paint cans and the like, and more particularly, to such a container having a bail for holding the can integrally formed therewith.
Plastic containers are known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,000,527, 3,623,633, 3,889,732, 4,796,775, 5,027,973, 5,125,530, 5,215,210, 5,520,306, and 5,526,954 being representative examples. Typically, plastic containers are currently formed of many separate pieces. A first piece comprises an injection molded container body. A second piece includes ears formed on the side of the container using slides in the mold by which the container is formed. A third piece is a cover, also made of plastic, which fits over the open, upper end of the container. A fourth piece is a bail made of either plastic or a wire. The ends of the bail attach to the ears formed on the side of the container and the bail is used to both lift the container and to suspend it from a hook or the like. The ears to which the ends of the bail attach are opposed ears formed 180° apart. With such an arrangement, the container hangs vertically regardless of the amount of material in the container. If the container is filled with paint, for example, as more paint is used, the vertical hang of the pail makes it increasingly difficult to dip a paint brush far enough into the container to wet the brush with paint.
Some containers, for example, the container shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,000,527 referred to above, and a recently introduced container sold by Sherwin Williams do not have the ears located 180° apart, but rather at some other angle. However, both of these plastic container constructions have certain disadvantages. For example, in the construction shown in the '527 patent, integral molding is not possible. Rather, insertion of a bail requires heat to be applied to the container to make it sufficiently pliable so the bail can be stretched over a flange portion of the container. This is costly with respect to both the amount of energy and labor required to manufacture the container.
In addition to the foregoing, it is a common feature of conventional plastic containers that they incorporate a living hinge with the bail or handle construction. The living hinge comprises a region of reduced thickness allowing the bail to be bent or folded into an upright posture for gripping by the user. Over time, the bail will fail at this point due to the flexing of the plastic material as the handle is moved from its level to upright position and back. Because of this, such containers are considered by consumers to be weak.
Besides the foregoing, lower cost plastic containers having a non-rigid geometry at their open end, and which employ a plastic bail, have an additional problem. This is that because of the lack of hoop strength at the open end of the container the top of the container will tend to deform or “ovalize” due to the weight of the contents of the container. This often results in spillage of the container's contents. Another problem with such containers is that if the container has an integrally molded bail, the bail will tend to interfere with brush insertion if the container is placed on a horizontal surface after it has been hanging for a while. This is because of residual strain which causes the bail to remain in a somewhat arched position over the mouth of the container making it difficult to dip the brush into the container.